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Wisconsin Basketball: Wisconsin Badgers 2015-16 Season Preview

By Hashim R. Hathaway

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Wisconsin Badgers

2014-2015 Record: 36-4 (16-2, Big Ten)
Postseason: NCAA Tournament – National Championship Game

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If there was a word that could best describe the upcoming season for the Wisconsin Badgers, it would probably be: Bittersweet. After making a strong run through the Big Ten season, where they won both the regular season and tournament titles, Coach Bo Ryan and National Player of the Year Frank “The Tank” Kaminsky led the Badgers through the NCAA Tournament, upsetting undefeated Kentucky; giving them the opportunity to win their first national title in more than 70 years. While they came up short against Duke, losing 63-68, the Badgers made a mark that will be remembered for some time to come.

However, all good things must come to an end, and for the Badgers, not only do they enter the season without Kaminsky and fellow forwards Sam Dekker and Duje Dukan, the 2015-16 season could mark the end of an era as Ryan announced his retirement, with his last game at the helm coming at season’s end, that is until he walked back those comments, saying that it’s possible he could go another couple seasons, making the final decision at the end of the year.

In the meantime, it’s business as usual in Madison as Ryan has every intention of leading a complete if not slightly depleted Badgers squad into his possible final season with the hopes that the team finds a way to succeed at the same level of quality as every other team Ryan brings into the Kohl Center. That said, he has his work cut out for him in this campaign as stiff competition from Maryland, Indiana and Purdue threaten to keep him from winning his fifth Big Ten regular season crown.

Newcomers

F – Alex Illikainen (#146 247Sports Composite)
G – Brevin Pritzl (#194 247Sports Composite)
F – Charlie Thomas (#331 247Sports Composite)
F – Khalil Iverson (#353 247Sports Composite)
F – Andy Van Vliet (unranked)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 20 vs Georgetown – Coach Ryan gets an early series of tests for his Badger squad during the 2K Sports Classic. First up is Georgetown, a team that found less success than last season’s Badgers, but also brings back more talent from last season as well. It should be interesting how the young guards match up with senior Hoyas guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and his 17.2 point average.

Nov. 22 vs Duke – While the Badgers are scheduled to face the winner of Duke/VCU in the 2K Sports Classic semifinals, it’s highly likely that Duke will have no problem fending off VCU and first year coach Will Wade. Ryan and the Badgers will have their hands full with Marshall Plumlee and five-star freshmen Chase Jeter and Luke Kennard. This season’s Blue Devils look every bit as good as last season’s championship squad, so don’t look for the Badgers to get revenge for the National Championship game loss.

Dec. 2 vs Syracuse – The Badgers travel to the Carrier Dome to face a Orange team that lost a pair of solid starters in Chris McCullough and Rakim Christmas, but gets five-star shooting guard Malachi Richardson as their newest threat. The Orange missed postseason play last season due to a self-imposed ban, so it’s hard to predict what head coach Jim Boeheim has on his hands going into this game. If the Badgers want to make a solid statement going into the Big Ten season, this is a must-win game.

Key Players

Bronson Koenig – Without question, Koenig (along with Nigel Hayes) is the foundation upon which the Badgers will rise or fall. The majority of the scoring responsibility will likely fall on his shoulders, and his ability to work the floor with redshirt sophomore Jordan Hill providing relief will go a long way towards telling the overall story for this year’s squad. Coach Ryan will rely on Koenig’s 40 percent three-point shooting to open up big leads when it counts.

Nigel Hayes – By value of attrition alone, 2015-16 could be huge for Hayes, whose deadly jump shot could help to blow away all expectations of a mediocre season for the Badgers. In two seasons with Wisconsin, Hayes is averaging a remarkable 50 percent field goal average and the team will need that along with his shared leadership with Koenig in order to lead the Badgers’ charge. Hayes isn’t afraid to be physical and sell out for rebounds, so he could easily set a standard for toughness that ends up being the difference in tight games. If he meets or exceeds expectations, Hayes could wind up getting All-Big Ten, if not All-American honors.

Brevin Pritzl – If Coach Ryan loves to do anything, it’s recruit the state of Wisconsin with an iron fist. Even with competition from Marquette, Ryan has an innate ability to snag the in-state recruits he wants, and landing top 100 recruit Pritzl is no different. Because of the Badgers’ rather empty cupboard at the guard position, Pritzl could see big minutes early as he rotates with redshirt junior Zak Showalter. In terms of being a pure shooter, Pritzl has a definite edge over Showalter, so don’t be surprised if we don’t see this true freshman end up starting as the season progresses.

Season Outlook

It’s so easy to ignore this Wisconsin team for all the things they lost in the offseason, but the X factor here will always be the ability of Bo Ryan to take raw players and turn them into primetime players. Saying that doesn’t mitigate or take away from the reality that Wisconsin, as it stands right now, is the fourth or fifth best team in the Big Ten going into this season.

Looking at their overall schedule, they have a much tougher non-conference schedule than top dogs Maryland, Indiana and Purdue, which is something that can both help and hinder the Badgers. On one hand, the battles with Georgetown, Duke and Syracuse can lead to a stronger, more educated offense and defense, but by the same regard, it could take a toll on a young team going into the brutal Big Ten season.

If Wisconsin succeeds, it will be largely due to the leadership from Koenig and Hayes, along with the redshirts and freshmen picking up the slack where necessary. If they can get it together early, the Badgers could end up winning 23 to 24 games, with 12 of those wins coming from the Big Ten. However, of those games, five of those could go either way, leaving the Badgers to hope they have a strong showing in the Big Ten tournament in order to secure a solid NCAA Tournament seed.

Next: Big Ten Season Preview

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